The Swedish car giants of that time were very much your straightforward motors, from drawing board to showroom.

How things have changed. The Volvos of today have said farewell to the sharp-edged, boxy shape, along with the battleship-grey livery once beloved of the Stockholm motor makers.

My latest venture into the world of Volvo was in the new V40 Cross Country five-door hatch and, on its looks, the first impressions were good.

The V40 effectively replaces the Volvo S40 and V50. It scores well in terms of both practicality and cabin room, delivering plenty of space to front-seat occupants and decent stowage, which includes a cooled glovebox, plus a decent shaped 335-litre luggage bay.

However, while the boot room proved usefully wide and the rear seats do fold flat, perhaps the overall space in the back could have been a little more accommodating.

But you can’t have it all, and the top quality interior features some high-class materials.

Everything is soft to the touch and has an upmarket look and feel to it. Features such as Volvo’s “floating” centre console, thick chrome trim and a standard five-inch colour screen all add to the high-quality tag.

Other upmarket touches include hugely comfortable seats, while the TFT LCD instrument cluster takes the place of standard dials.

Volvo V40 Cross Country (Photo: Volvo)

The V40 also has Bluetooth as standard on all models.

The car impressed from behind the wheel, delivering a comfortably smooth and relaxed ride.

Well set up for UK roads, the V40’s suspension proved a decent companion.

There is plenty of quality refinement to enjoy for drivers and passengers alike, plus minimal road and engine noise help to add to its motorway cruising credentials.

Safe and composed handling enables the V40 to corner well on its “dynamic” standard chassis and, with some good front-end grip, it feels “Swedish safe” on the Tarmac.

The D2 model I drove proved pretty efficient.

Coming with a 1.6-litre diesel power source, paired with a six-speed manual gearbox, the V40 delivers some 115bhp of pulling power, while a decent level of torque helps enormously in the overtaking lanes.

Volvo’s claimed 74.3mpg economy is a decent level of fuel usage and the below-100 CO2 emissions mean you don’t have to pay any annual Vehicle Excise Duty.

Volvo V40 Cross Country (Photo: Volvo)

Overall, the V40 D2 Cross Country Lux Nav proved a handsome, safe and well-designed family car that should have plenty of pull in the ranks of the premium, family and business- hatchback world.